Kinshasa, September 21, 2026 – Special Correspondent
It is the same journey because it is the same delegation.
During the night of September 18, 2026, Dr. Lohanga Konga, Ambassador-at-Large for Cultural and Spiritual Diplomacy, hurriedly left Nkamba New Jerusalem for Kinshasa, before heading to Addis Ababa. The objective was to take part in the work of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) on the Congo Basin.
Bujumbura First, New York Next
On September 18, in Bujumbura, the 18th session of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defense, Security and Safety (STCDSS) adopted a report described as important for the DRC, particularly regarding respect for its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2773.
“You cannot secure a people with soldiers alone. You secure them when they live within their own history,” the Ambassador-at-Large argued before the PSC.
At the center of his presentation was the dossier “Papa Simon Kimbangu, an Actor in International Relations for Peace.”
Born on September 12, 1887, in Nkamba, Papa Simon Kimbangu is associated with the healing of Maman Nkiantondo on April 6, 1921, in Ngombe-Kinsuka, followed by an attempt to arrest him on June 6, 1921. His response, regarded as a reference point in the history of political non-violence in Africa, is summed up in the following statement: “Do not repay evil with evil.”
Sentenced to death on October 3, 1921, after receiving 120 lashes, his sentence was eventually commuted to life imprisonment. He died on October 12, 1951, in Elisabethville, after 30 years in detention, approximately 2,000 kilometers from his native village.
From this ordeal emerged a route that has since become symbolic: Nkamba – Thysville – Elisabethville, the Route of the Way of the Passion. According to the dossier, 37,000 families were deported, while the movement that emerged from this history would go on to acquire an international dimension.
Proposal to the PSC
The proposal submitted to the PSC is to have this route recognized by the African Union as an “Pan-African Itinerary of Memory and Peace,” modeled on the Camino de Santiago in Europe.
Phase 2: The UN Sheds Light
From September 22 to 28, the dossier is expected to continue its journey in New York during the 81st United Nations General Assembly, held under the theme: “Restoring Trust.”
The delegation is headed by H.E. Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka, mandated by President Félix Tshisekedi to represent the voice of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The work prepared at the AU level is to be presented in New York, with the objective, among others, of obtaining a mandate from the African Union Commission to approach UNESCO, with a view to having Nkamba New Jerusalem Holy City recognized as a Cultural and Spiritual Heritage of Humanity.
Phase 3: Nkamba Celebrates
The return to Nkamba is scheduled for October 12, 2026, around a double anniversary described as highly symbolic:
- The Man: commemorating the physical passing of Papa Kimbangu on October 12, 1951;
- The Spiritual: the birth of a spiritual nation and the triumph of the spirit over chains.
The AU prepares, the UN sheds light, Nkamba celebrates.
Press Contact: Ambassador-at-Large for Cultural and Spiritual Diplomacy – Dr. Lohanga Konga
Roger Lazio
